Ford has enjoyed the lion’s share of the law enforcement market for years, largely due to the rugged reputation of its rear-wheel drive Crown Victoria Police Interceptor. But with Ford planning to discontinue production of its aging Crown Victoria, it finds itself forced to fill the upcoming gap with not one, but two vehicles.
Ford already revealed a Police Interceptor based on its new Taurus sedan, which comes with extensive purpose-built modifications to accommodate the needs of various law enforcement agencies, but now, according to Detroit News, Ford is readying a second vehicle – based on the yet-to-be-released redesigned Ford Explorer.
Ford’s new Explorer actually shares the same platform as the Taurus, making it a logical choice for a second Police Interceptor given the ability to share components, development and repair costs. Ford says it has a 27 member advisory board, made up exclusively of members of the law enforcement community. Ford says it used this advisory board to determine which modifications needed to be made to its Taurus and Explorer to develop a pair of purpose-built Police Interceptors.
Despite a relatively warm welcome for Ford’s front and all-wheel drive Taurus-based Police Interceptor, some agencies were still seeking other options.
“Having a pursuit-rated SUV would be great,” said Vartan Yegiyan, director of police transportation for the LAPD, when speaking with the Detroit News. “They’re very important for a number of law enforcement agencies, including ours.”
The Ford Explorer-based Police Interceptor will also feature available all-wheel drive like the Taurus counterpart, but Ford has not yet fully released details on its second Police Interceptor.
References
1.’Ford holds tight to police market…’ view
